📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Cheap Travel Money Discussion Area

1164165167169170293

Comments

  • Hi all. new to the site so be kind! Off to Spain (Salou) in 4 weeks & need some advice. I only have the basic Nationwide debit card & since they changed it, I can't use it to withdraw cash abroad anymore. Went to Benidorm last year & knew from previous experience I got a much better exchange rate there then in the UK so took £s. Not so sure with Salou & since I can't use atms (unless I use my capital One credit card), would I be better taking £s, euros or one of these prepaid cards? I'll be taking a substantial amount as I intend to buy my full cigeratte allocation. Any advice appreciated. Thanks
  • Wannie_2
    Wannie_2 Posts: 214 Forumite
    davehsug wrote: »
    Hi all. new to the site so be kind! Off to Spain (Salou) in 4 weeks & need some advice. I only have the basic Nationwide debit card & since they changed it, I can't use it to withdraw cash abroad anymore. Went to Benidorm last year & knew from previous experience I got a much better exchange rate there then in the UK so took £s. Not so sure with Salou & since I can't use atms (unless I use my capital One credit card), would I be better taking £s, euros or one of these prepaid cards? I'll be taking a substantial amount as I intend to buy my full cigeratte allocation. Any advice appreciated. Thanks

    Possibly the best Prepaid card overall is the Travelex Cash Passport Globe ordered through the Travelex website via TopCashBack(choosing the Globe card). This gets you 0.5% cashback on your initial load. Bringing the card cost down to 0.99% of your total spend. The rate will beat any that you can obtain by yourself.

    Don't let the Spanish merchants charge you in Pounds. Always insist that you wish to be charged and invoiced in Euros. Check your bills before signing and agreeing.

    Pay for the Prepaid card with your Nationwide Cash Card in order to avoid any extra charges.
  • Hello,
    I have to make a payment in US Dollars and was wondering which is the cheapest way to pay; should I use my Post Office Credit Card or my Fair FX prepaid card?
    Thanks.
  • MoonBrain wrote: »
    Hello,
    I have to make a payment in US Dollars and was wondering which is the cheapest way to pay; should I use my Post Office Credit Card or my Fair FX prepaid card?
    Thanks.

    Post Office CC.
  • Has anyone got a Metro Bank Credit card?
    If so, can anyone post the fees etc? There's nowt on the website but if it's worth it I will go into London to apply for one! Going to the US for a month so think this would be the best option - current account for free cash withdrawals and hopefully a good credit card with 0% until Sept 2012!

    Wins : McCains garden games set, 2xTickets to Alton Towers, Links of London friendship bracelet, 2xIdeal Home Show tickets, McFly album CD, Virgin Balloon flight for 2 with a case of ScrumpyJack cider and 2 ltd edition jackets, Powerboat racing experience, £50 Virgin voucher, Aerobie Pro flying ring & Rice Krispie squares, Tesco baby pack
    :j
  • Crazyangel wrote: »
    Has anyone got a Metro Bank Credit card?
    If so, can anyone post the fees etc? There's nowt on the website but if it's worth it I will go into London to apply for one! Going to the US for a month so think this would be the best option - current account for free cash withdrawals and hopefully a good credit card with 0% until Sept 2012!

    Go for it. But are you sure they will issue you with a credit card?

    The only caveat with the credit card is that you cannot set up a direct debit to pay statements balances.
    So you will have to find a way to make your minimum payment. It could be that they just take it from your current account balance. Check in-store.
  • Sorry Martin, and all M.S.E. Subscribers..... YOU DID WARN US....
    Arrived Glasgow Airport at 5.00am in happy holiday mood: My FairFx Pre-Paid mastercard is in my wallet loaded with 1600 euros at a FairFx rate of 1.1225 euros to the pound: HORROR - I have forgotten to buy euros for taxi's etc on arrival in Greece:
    That's not a problem, as there is the TRAVELEX exchange desk with its (glass screen, so that they can see the MUGS approaching) with its smiling staff, I know now why they where all smiling:
    CAN I BUY 100euros PLEASE - CERTAINLY SIR NO PROBLEM, WHAT IS THIS MORNINGS EXCHANGE RATE (no reply to my question): THAT WILL BE £102.53 PLEASE: THE LOOK OF HORROR PROMPTED AN EXPLANTION, 100 euro SELLS FOR 1.0467 = £95.54 + £3.00 COMMISSION + A £3.99 "BUY-BACK PLUS" FEE? NO OFFER TO DECLINE OR ACCEPT: TRAVELEX UK HAVE THE MUTUALLY COSY BENEFICAL MONOPOLY WITH B.A.A. AT GLASGOW AIRPORT:
    ROLL ON THE COMPETITIONS COMMISSIONS RULING THAT B.A.A. MUST SELL SOME OF ITS AIRPORTS TO INCREASE COMPETITION AND VALUE TO ITS ALREADY OVERCHARGE TRAVELLERS ! !:eek:
  • Hi all,

    i am off travelling in 6 weeks to thailand for a month and australia for 11 months. I have savings that i plan to spend but i am soooo confused about what i should do about credit cards/ prepaid cards. I have been looking at the Travelex Cash Passport Globe but do i put all my money onto the card or do i put a reasonable amount of Baht & Oz dollars and leave the rest of my money in my RBS current account and transfer onto the card when i need?

    Im sorry if this has been previously covered i have tried reading the forum but i dont really understand credit cards and APR etc *embarassed face*

    any advice would be greatly appreciated :)
  • By far the cheapest and safest is to open a foreign currency bank account, if you go somewhere regularly. I spend a month a year (at least) in the USA, so I have two Citibank accounts, one in dollars and one in sterling. I can transfer money between the two with no penalty, (except you can get dinged on the exchange rate, so best to keep an eye on that) and my debit card counts for both accounts, so I can use the card as a regular ATM card. It's a real boon and it means I'm not carrying wedges of cash around with me. I also have a Zero card, which is great for larger purchases and hotel bills.
    But I think Citi has put up the minimum balance quite considerably since I joined, so that might not be an option. When I joined it was around £2,000 between all accounts.
    Barclays has a reasonably good option for a foreign bank account, which you can link to your sterling account.
    And don't forget the humble traveler's cheque. In most places in the USA, it's as good as cash, and you can get change on them.
  • TakeThis
    TakeThis Posts: 2,909 Forumite
    inkie123 wrote: »
    By far the cheapest and safest is to open a foreign currency bank account, if you go somewhere regularly. I spend a month a year (at least) in the USA, so I have two Citibank accounts, one in dollars and one in sterling. I can transfer money between the two with no penalty, (except you can get dinged on the exchange rate, so best to keep an eye on that) and my debit card counts for both accounts, so I can use the card as a regular ATM card. It's a real boon and it means I'm not carrying wedges of cash around with me. I also have a Zero card, which is great for larger purchases and hotel bills.
    But I think Citi has put up the minimum balance quite considerably since I joined, so that might not be an option. When I joined it was around £2,000 between all accounts.
    Barclays has a reasonably good option for a foreign bank account, which you can link to your sterling account.
    And don't forget the humble traveler's cheque. In most places in the USA, it's as good as cash, and you can get change on them.

    Oh no it isn't. Can we see some figures to support this statement?
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 351.3K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.2K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.8K Spending & Discounts
  • 244.3K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 599.5K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 177.1K Life & Family
  • 257.8K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.2K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.